Habits cannot be erased totally. We slip into old habits in difficult times. The newly replaced routines tend to fall apart. For change to be sustained it must have one more ingredient: belief. It is essential to have faith and positive self affirmations to hold on to, especially in critical times.
For you to run your race effectively (continuing last month’s example) you must believe that the changed routine of breathing at the right time in the right way will transform your shaky start into a steady start. So even if the wind is in your face, or your best friend does not show up for the race, or your new running shoes feel uncomfortable, it helps to hold on to the belief that the shift in routine will drive the desired outcome.
Habits can be replaced. “For a habit to remain changed; people must believe change is possible.”Charles Duhigg. Whether it is confidence that you can do it, or faith in something bigger than yourself, such as a group, team, or higher power, you want to hold on to that belief. Support and encouragement from others, coworkers, friends and family help create and maintain this belief.
It is also important to develop “key stone habits: those that matter the most and have a trickle-down effect changing other habits.” Once one tiny habit changes, it cascades down to others. You are motivated to change more habits.
In the case of running a short race, you get on all fours, fingers almost touching the starting line. You stay on your knees until you hear the ref say ‘set’. This is your cue for breathing in deeply as that first shift in routine replacing your old habit. You raise your butt up. You focus on keeping your head down looking at the ground. You breathe out at the ‘b’ of the bang of the starter’s gun and start to sprint. You keep your arms close to you and swing them fast. End result is that you improve your running time. A shift in one basic routine (breathing) starts to flow into changing others that follow. The entire sequence of routines becomes a set of habits that will end in the desired result: the reward of crossing the finish line in improved time and one day even winning a race! Your changed habits are sustained.